By Reya Mehrotra
The recent comedy-drama film Gulabo Sitabo made headlines for being the first Bollywood primary film to be shown online. Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana in lead roles, the film was released on Amazon Prime due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this is not the only explanation for which he made waves. In addition to stellar performances, the film also received praise for the complex cinematography of Abhik Mukhopadhyay, who brought the audience to life to the other corners of Lucknow, the city in which it takes place. The movie, which was basically shot in the streets. of Hazratganj and Chowk, allows the audience to get up close and back the architecture and essence of the city of the Nawabs.
However, the capital of Uttar Pradesh is not the first or only city in the state to reach the big screen. Bollywood’s love story with the northern state of India is ancient and well documented. From Sadhana making a song about her lost earring to Bareilly (Jhumka tour re Bareilly ke bazaar mein) in the 1966 film Mera Saaya to Amitabh Bachchan (born by chance in Allahabad) causing Banarasi to pay the component of Khaike paan Banaraswala’s non-unusual jargon in the 1978 film Don Uttar Pradesh has delighted the filmmakers. So, of course, who can deny the eternal appeal of the Taj Mahal? The Unesco World Heritage site in Agra was discovered in the center of many Bollywood films, including in the name: the 1963 film Taj Mahal had a successful opening and had some memorable songs, filmed in the context of the majestic monument.
Over the years, Bollywood’s reliance on Uttar Pradesh has grown steadily, with writers and administrators increasingly installing their films and even their exhibits in the alleys and alleys of this colorful state. What has changed, however, is the cinematic representation of the state. At a time when writers and administrators only highlighted their good looks and tehzeeb, today they increasingly draw their gaze to other facets, adding their rich culture, universality and even their corrupt medium.
The most recent and perhaps most successful example of a police mystery founded in Uttar Pradesh is Mirzapur. The Amazon Prime 2018 Internet series was filmed basically in Mirzapur UP with Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Ghazipur, Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Varanasi. The screen shows the reign of the Mafia and gang rivalry in Uttar Pradesh. In 2012, Ishaqzaade captured the story of an interfaith love story in the context of crime and politics at Lucknow. The 2013 film Bullet Raja also targeted the Uttar Pradesh Mafia. And who can the 2006 film Omkara, which portrays Ajay Devgn as a meerut gangster? The film was even presented at the Cannes Film Festival.
Over the past decade, Uttar Pradesh has noticed more and more police suspense emerge from his resistance.
This replacement on behalf of behalf, from his good looks and tehzeeb to his cruelty and goondidism, has been slow and has been affected by the emergence of small-town writers, says Sukhpreet Singh, commercial manager, marketing, DishTV and Watcho, DishTV India. “What we have noticed in recent years is the abandonment of fantasy and the emergence of stories founded on other genuine people in genuine contexts. Filmmakers and writers also emerge from small towns in the center of Hindi,” says Singh, adding: “The hard and genuine texture of the crime scene in UP is very exciting, as is the issue of the Wild West. Until recently, content had to be set to safe limits on violence and language, but now those limits have been extended (sometimes too long) with the emergence of online media. As a result, it lends itself more to the representation of the crime.
Speaking about the popularity of UP-based crime thrillers, Delhi-based film critic Mihir Pandya, who teaches Hindi literature at Delhi University’s Indraprastha College for Women, said: “There is a charm for crime and violence in a visual environment like cinema and especially in popular Hindi cinema because crime has a superior quality to nature and melodramatic. But the replacement is not limited to crime and violence in my opinion, because films such as Tanu Weds Manu, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, set in Northern Indian Cities have also proven to be primary hits at the box office. This phenomenon dates back to 2005-06 when Bunty Aur Babli was released.
However, there was a brief period, especially in the 1990s, when northern states such as UP and Bihar were eclipsed as filming locations through the brightness and splendor of major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, and even places like Switzerland, London and Paris. . Matrix Its reappearance, experts say, can be attributed to two points. “There are two points that played a key role in Bihar’s return to Bollywood films: a large middle-level, diminishing audience that diminishes the average elegance of those states that are now shaping mega caves like Delhi and Mumbai, and the digitalization procedure single-screen cinemas, which has made film releases in Tier 2 and 3 cities financially viable. In 2010, Dabangg learned this phenomenon,” Pandya says. The replacement can also be attributed to the birth of streaming platforms, says Aneesh Dev, founder and CEO of Dollywood Digitainment, a newly introduced video streaming platform. “The change has become increasingly noticeable in recent times due to the widespread success of television and virtual media,” he says.
Melting potBesides crime, filmmakers are also increasingly capturing the rich cultural fabric of the state through their cameras. The historic monuments combined with rural, urban and semi-urban settlements along the river Ganga add to its charm and have made Uttar Pradesh a magnet for Bollywood, believes Dev. “UP has a culturally rich landscape. The attractiveness of the destination is enhanced by its beautiful historical monuments along with the semi-urban and rural settlements scattered all across. The holy river Ganga, that flows along the entire length of UP, adds to the charm of this land, as it takes one back to the unforgettable invasions by the Mughals and British,” he says.
It is this rich cultural heritage of the state that attracts the filmmakers to its shores. “For Hindi cinema, UP has been a rich source of content and cultural influence. The state has produced countless writers, poets and musicians such as Javed Akhtar, Naushad, Shahryar, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Majaz Lakhnavi, Ismat Chughtai, Gopal Das Neeraj, Rahi Masoom Raza … the list is endless,” says Pushpendra Nath Misra, director of the recent 1989 Netflix series Taj Mahal, set in Lucknow. “These writers brought with them their world, their stories, their culture, their language and their characters. UP has thus become a strong reference for Hindi films. He is also known for his ‘Ganga-Jamuna-tehzeeb’. This composite culture has a lot to tell,” he says.
Another internet series, Virgin Bhasskar, released on ALTBalaji in 2019, was widely filmed in Varanasi. “The small villages of UP have a local flavor, which makes it a desirable canvas. Our exhibition was filmed in the context of Varanasi, while the village resonated well with hitale. The script required a simple people, other people don’t braidly communicate about taboos and everyone knows everyone. The location of the story plays a role in the audience’s feeling with the character or story. While the display is a mild comedy-drama, the main character has unique Features and Dialogues Array… retracting it also arranged boy in a big city would not have worked well. We are looking for a backdrop that complemented The character of Bhasskar, shy and not exposed to the outside world. We control capturing the essence of the city with its ghats, its streets, its local flavor … and it was well-won by the public,” says Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO of ALTBalaji and COO of Balaji Telefilms.
In addition, says Misra, the Hindi dialect spoken only in the UP, which extends to several neighboring states, connects to a giant component of the Hindi-speaking population, adding farmers, migrant staff and the middle class, sections that form a broad base.
According to director Aniruddha Sen (also known as Oni Sen), who filmed much of his recent Internet series of police mystery Asur in Varanasi: “Hindi as a language is understood through the largest number of people in India. You can have the local UP dialects, however, they will be understandable to the viewer, however, any other language like Bengali or Assamese is a bit confidable for those who do not speak if they do not belong to this region. using too many subtitles. As a result, Hindi movies are more common,” he explains.
Uttar Pradesh’s popularity as a shooting destination is also due to its originality and intelligent appearance reflected in each image. Ganga Ghat in Varanasi, in fact, remains one of the most popular stalls in the state to film. One of the films shot there was Masaan (2015), the story of a deficient boy from a small town who burns the funeral pyres near Ganga Ghat for a living. Some other popular films shot there come with Raanjhanaa, Yamla Pagla Deewana, Chokher Bali, Piku, Water, etc. Explaining why Varanasi was chosen to shoot Asur, director Sen said, “In us, the key character was Benaras and we had to show him.” two epochs: the existing day and 20 years ago. We are used to shooting in Mumbai, but here our positions were located in the houses. It was a walk for us because the other people were helpful. We may have gone into some positions and asked other people, and we were allowed to film there. Local groups are quite active and conscious. Due to the presence of local theater groups, we get many experienced local actors without problems. The smart look of Benaras is such that it can position a camera anywhere and locate a smart frame. All this has made our paintings very simple. I would like to pass and photograph Benaras more,” says Sen, a graduate of the National Design Institute, who is also a photographer. and illustrator.
Speaking of Uttar Pradesh’s appeal, Sen said: “UP is a very attractive and exciting position. Its history and culture are very colorful. That’s why a love story as well as can be set up smoothly here, as added. colors of the area and its inhabitants. Also, it’s not a difficult position to turn … it also has the logistical convenience. »
In addition to Varanasi, the other popular cities to film are Lucknow and Agra, according to the official portal of the Ministry of Tourism of the government of Uttar Pradesh. “Umrao Jaan, which was manufactured in 1981, was filmed in Lucknow, which provided the best lifestyle atmosphere, showing style, balance and elegance with the best representation of 18th-century culture and heritage,” explains the online page. Popular filming destinations come with Imambara and Rumi Darwaza in Lucknow, Ramnagar Fort, Ghats, Alleys and Temples in Varanasi, and Taj Mahal, Mehtab Bagh, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri in Agra.
Memorable charactersNot just UP’s monuments, sites or its goons, certain characters with their unique ‘UP-ness’ have also enchanted audiences. Take, for instance, Pritam Vidrohi from Bareilly Ki Barfi. The versatile Rajkummar Rao shines bright in the role and can be seen wearing leather jackets and sunglasses, chewing paan and speaking in a distinctive UP accent. Another one is Kangana Ranaut’s critically acclaimed portrayal of Tanu in Tanu Weds Manu. Kanpur-based Tanu is a small-town girl who is adventurous and doesn’t conform to traditions. And who can forget Kaleen Bhaiya from Mirzapur, immortalised in an exceptional performance by Pankaj Tripathi.
With the new decade, there has been a tangible replacement in the type of stories, as well as in the characters coming from UP. Take, for example, the recent film Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. Set in Varanasi and starring Ayushmann Khurrana, the film explores the trials and tribulations faced by same-sex couples in a small Indian town. Obviously, from being the backdrop of a scene to a silent character advancing the story, UP goes a long way in its cinematic journey.
Movies Ganga Jumna (1961) Pakeezah (1972) Bunty Aur Babli (2005) Banaras (2006) Omkara (2006) Tanu Weds Manu (2011) Ishaqzaade (2012) Raanjhanaa (2006) 13) Dedh Ishqiya (2014) Aligarh (2015) Odourless : Ek Prem Katha (2017) Bullet (2019) Article 15 (2019) Bamfaad (2020) Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
Mirzapur (2018) Rangbaaz (2018) Virgin Bhasskar (2019) Asur (2020) Panchayat (2020) Taj Mahal 1989 (2020)
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